Through the first few weeks of the 2024 softball campaign, Rutgers has gotten off to an impressive 21-15 start. While Rutgers has gotten contributions from throughout the lineup, Morgan Smith has been vital to their success. The Phoenix native has been an on-base machine and is on pace to have a career year.
In 116 at-bats, Smith has posted a .422 batting average and driven in 42 runs. She has also shown some power with four doubles and 13 home runs. Before the 2024 campaign, Smith had never hit more than five home runs in a season.
E4 | Swing and miss — Morgan Smith leaving a pair of Boilermakers in scoring position with her 3rd K of the day#GoRU #RUSB #Team50 pic.twitter.com/jEOHyuTzgY
— Rutgers Softball (@RUSoftball) March 29, 2024
While the talented senior has been a force at the plate, she is also making an impact on the mound. In 21 appearances, Smith has posted a 3.00 ERA and set a new career-high in strikeouts with 69. Smith has already thrown 33.8 innings more than last year, but she has shown she can handle the workload.
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Although the season is far from over, it has been hard to ignore Smith’s play. She leads Rutgers in batting average, home runs, hits, and triples. That is no easy feat, especially considering the 2024 campaign is over a month old.
After proving that she could hold her own offensively last year with a .357 batting average in 57 games, Smith has taken her game to another level. For Rutgers it has been a welcome sign as Smith’s impact at the plate has sparked the offense.